Striking HC lawyers plan statewide strike

The striking lawyers of Orissa High Court have decided to increase their strength by roping in more from their fraternity across the state and observe a day-long state-wide token strike in support of their demand to fill up vacant positions of judges.
More than 50 bars have already responded to our call and we are waiting for others to decide on the state-wide lawyers strike to paralyse judicial activities across the state, said High Court Bar Association secretary Satyabrata Mohanty.
Addressing media persons along with Association president Srikant Kumar Naik and other office bearers, Mohanty said the ongoing relay hunger strike by the High Court lawyers will continue till February 23 and after that the next course of action will be chalked out.

The Bar Association made an appeal to the public saying that the ongoing agitation is aimed at strengthening the bench of the High Court in order to provide quick and speedy justice to the litigants as over 1.70 lakh cases are still pending disposal in the HC.
The lawyers are boycotting courts since February 12 and have resorted to relay hunger strike from February 19.
While 32 per cent posts of judges are lying vacant across the High Courts in country, Orissa High Court has over 40 per cent vacancies.
Against a sanctioned strength of 27 (20 permanent and seven additional) judges, the HC currently has only 16 judges.